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| An example of the left's demonization of a a reasonable proposal for conservative governance |
This is the Newsweek report:
"Like some on the right, severe right, came up with this Project 25, and I don't even know, I mean some of them I know who they are, but they're very, very conservative," he said. Some members of the audience booed at this point.
"They're sort of the opposite of the radical left, OK; you have the radical left, and you have the radical right, and they come up with this, I don't know what the hell it is, 'It's Project 25!' 'He's involved in Project,' and then they read some of the things, and they are extreme, I mean they're seriously extreme. But I don't know anything about it, I don't want to know anything about it," he said.
This is weird. It is weird that Trump can try to distance himself from Project 2025 when his close advisors are on the committee producing the thing. It is also weird that Trump would distance himself from proposals that fleshes-out much of what is assumed to be his agenda. It is even more weird that Trump, just a few days ago, claimed he had never even heard of it.
Project 2025 is an initiative directed by the Heritage Foundation with the participation of up to 100 other conservative think tanks and organizations, with the aim of promoting a conservative agenda if Trump is reelected. The Heritage Foundation describes it as "our 180-day Transition Playbook and includes a comprehensive, concrete transition plan for each federal agency." The plan had input from more than 400 scholars and policy experts from across the conservative movement and around the country. In addition to the transition plan, the project is creating a data base of potential employees, sort of like a LinkedIn site for conservatives interested in working in the new administration.
The plan has four main policy aims: restore the family as the centerpiece of American life; dismantle the administrative state; defend the nation's sovereignty and borders; and secure God-given individual rights to live freely. I guess if you are liberal, those are things to freak-out over. I support all of those policy aims.
There are some specifics with which I am not on board, but overall, Project 2025 is a list of mainstream conservative proposals. It is a bold plan but like a lot of other bold plans much of it will never see the light of day. Some of it will not be approved by Congress, some will not withstand legal challenges, and some will simply be discarded upon further consideration. Across all of government at all levels there are probably more plans that do not come to fruition, than plans that do.
The left has gone total freak-out over Project 2025 and treating it as some sinister secret plan for a fascist remake of America. You can find lots of YouTube videos with the scary music to accompany the narrative. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC said Project 2025 is a plan to create a government that doesn't do anything other than serve Donald Trump, "and that is what it is all about." I know that is weird, but that is her summary of it.
I am sure some are reassured that Trump has denounced Project 2025. Some less engaged voters who are just casual consumers of political news, may have heard the left freak-out, thought Project 2025 was something to fear and made them wary of supporting President Trump. So, Trump calling the plan "radical," and "seriously extreme" may have reassured them. That is not my reaction.
I think it is telling that Trump equates the radical right and the radical left and places himself in the center. Of course, the terms "left" and "right" are imprecise terms and they are fluid. Some positions that were once considered right wing positions, are now considered left wing positions and vice versa. A couple examples are protectionism and America's leadership role in the world. Also, the modifier "radical" does not serve much of a purpose. If the Heritage Foundation is "radical right wing," then when you call some group like the Proud Boys "radical" right wing it kind of loses its descriptive function and its sting.
When Trump denounces both the radical left and the radical right, he tries to place himself as the centrist who is above it all. I know those on the left who see Trump as America's Hitler will find this ludicrous, but I think Trump does see himself as this pragmatic centrist figure. I think he sees himself as a common sense, pragmatic, patriotic person who thinks certain things need to be done and he does not bother to label them as "conservative" or "liberal" positions.
One example of how this lack of an ideological foundation could be concerning is when it comes to interest rates. If Trump wants to goose the economy and sees lowering interest rates as a way to do it, he could pressure the Fed to cut those rates, which might give a temporary boost to the economy followed by more inflation. Or, when it comes to foreign entanglements, he could weaken America's alliances, the result of which could be to embolden our adversaries and encourage aggression. I think it is dangerous when one does not have core values and a set of firm positions. Of course, we do not want a person who is inflexible, but we need a leader who is grounded in a set of believes.
Trump does not have a well-founded ideology and he is not a very thoughtful person. I can see that he would see conservatives and liberals as cut from the same cloth and as those who would frustrate doing what needs to be done to save our country, as he sees it. Don't forget that when Trump came on the scene, he had many Hollywood liberal friends and was comfortable in liberal circles. Trump was even pro-choice before he was pro-life. He registered as a Republican in 1987 and since that time, he has changed his party affiliation five times. In 2001 he was a registered Democrat. In a 2004 interview, Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat." In a July 2015 interview, Trump said that he has a broad range of political positions and said, "I identify with some things as a Democrat." (link) I know those who are liberal see Trump as a radical right-winger, but I don't think he sees himself that way and neither do I. I don't even think Trump is a conservative.
I am concerned that Trump pretends not to know much about Project 2025 and concerned that he is denouncing it. What this signal to me, is that Trump is going to run his own show. Trump is not going to take advice from anyone. If Trump is reelected, he is going to fill his cabinet and inner circle with absolute yes-men loyalist. Instead of policy experts from long established scholarly conservative think tanks, we will see people like Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn and Majorie Taylor Green and Roger Stone giving Trump advice. Trump will pick his advisors from among people who think like he does. He will not take advice from people who will tell him,"Mr. President, we can't do that." He is not going to want to hear from people who will say, "Mr. President, that would be unconstitutional."
J. D. Vance once said of Donald Trump that he is America's Hitler. I would not go that far. Maybe America's Peron, or America's Mussolini, however. Trump is a populist nationalist and one who values emotions over thought. He is not going to be restrained by institutional norms or moderated by establishment conservative thinkers. He does not want a set of policy positions, or someone else's agenda and plans to guide him; he wants to do what feels right day by day.
Instead of being reassured by Trump distancing himself from Project 2025, I am concerned.
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